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Temporary foreign worker program under review

Ottawa is looking into restricting the inflow of low-skilled temporary foreign workers while opening the door for more to get permanent status.

According to a background paper circulated by the federal government, more than 300,000 temporary foreign workers — 82,000 in low-skilled occupations—– resided in Canada in 2011, triple the number from a decade ago.
(Vince Talotta / TORONTO STAR file photo)

Ottawa is looking into restricting the inflow of low-skilled temporary foreign workers while opening the door for more to get permanent status in Canada, the Star has learned.

In a background paper circulated to interest groups, the federal government warned that an increasing number of employers are using migrant workers to address “long-term, structural labour gaps” instead of meeting short-term needs.

“Some employers are using the program as a substitute for necessary adjustments such as investments in capital and (re)-training workers, or adjustments in wages,” said the document, prepared by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC), for the review of the
Temporary Foreign Worker
program.

A consultation meeting was held this week in Ottawa amid concerns over the exponential growth of temporary foreign workers in Canada and the anticipated surge of undocumented migrants as they see their work permits expire and move underground.

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The government said the ongoing review is intended to better align the program with labour market needs by “ensuring that more employers look to the domestic labour force before hiring temporary foreign workers.”

According to the background paper, more than 300,000 temporary foreign workers — 82,000 in low-skilled occupations—– resided in Canada in 2011, triple the 101,000 a decade ago.

Officials asked for input in the following issues:

What is the right balance between protecting Canada’s labour market and ensuring TFWs can be hired where and when they are needed?

How to ensure Canadians and permanent residents are considered for jobs prior to hiring migrant workers?

Should there be further access to permanent residence for low-skilled workers? What should be the criteria?

How should the costs of delivering the program be shared between Ottawa, workers and employers?

In 2011, 29,908 temporary foreign workers, mostly in highly-skilled jobs, were granted permanent status through transition programs such as the Provincial Nominee Program — up from 9,518 in 2002.

While labour shortages in jobs requiring university, college or trades qualifications are expected to continue, the background paper said, there will be an excess supply of low-skilled labour.

A spokesperson for HRSDC Minister Diane Finley said program reviews are routine practice at the department and no timeline has been set for changes to the program.

“It is imperative that we first connect Canadians to available jobs in their local areas, while ensuring the TFW program is there to effectively support businesses when Canadians are not available,” Marian Ngo said in an email.

The government spends $35.5 million a year processing employers’ applications to bring in migrant workers, with no fee charged. Each application costs $342 to process.

Chris Ramsaroop of
Justicia for Migrant Workers
said the Toronto-based advocacy group, like others, scrambled to organize for Wednesday’s consultation in Ottawa after receiving a notification at the end of Friday.

“We’ve been raising some of these concerns for a long time. This is just the beginning of a dialogue. We need to see some concrete action by the government to ensure status upon arrival for migrant workers,” he said.

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